After an impressive debut in his first NFL start, Jalen Hurts will take his act out west as the Eagles will visit Kyler Murray and the Cardinals for a Week 15 matchup on Sunday afternoon. After stepping in for the benched Carson Wentz, Hurts was able to lead Philadelphia to an upset win over the New Orleans Saints and snap a four-game losing streak in the process. The rookie QB threw for 167 yards and a touchdown while adding another 106 yards on the ground. As he tries to go 2-0 as a starter in the NFL, he'll go head-to-head with another bring young quarterback in Murray, who is fresh off a Week 14 win over the Giants.
In this space, we're going to get into all the different betting angles that this game has in store for us. On top of the spread and total, we'll take a look at how the lines moved throughout the week to see if there are any trends that we can pick up to keep us betting sharp. Of course, we'll also get into our favorite prop bets in this matchup as well. All NFL odds are via William Hill Sportsbook.
How to watch
Date: Sunday, Dec. 20 | Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
Location: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, AZ)
TV: Fox | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Eagles (4-8-1) at Cardinals (7-6)
After opening up at Cardinals -5.5, that number increased. On Monday, it ticked up a full point to make it Cardinals -6.5 and that has stood firm throughout the week. That could be an indication that bettors are expecting the Jalen Hurts bubble to burst in Week 15 with the Cardinals handing him his first loss as a starter. Philadelphia has not covered consecutive games this season and is 0-4 ATS in its previous four road contests. Meanwhile, the Cardinals snapped a five-game ATS losing streak last week with a win over the Giants and allowed the offense to score just seven points. Arizona is 3-0 SU and ATS against the NFC East this season, winning each game by 15 or more points. While the Cardinals do come into this game with a strong record, they could struggle against a more mobile quarterback like Hurts. Arizona's defense is allowing 4.5 yards per carry this season and has losses on its schedule against some of the league's more mobile quarterbacks (Tua Tagovailoa, Cam Newton, and Russell Wilson).
Projected score: Arizona 24, Philadelphia 20
Over/Under
This number did seesaw a bit this week. It opened at 48 and just quickly jumped up to 48.5 before taking a plunge as low as 47.5 on Monday. After that dip, the total began to creep back up and now sits at 49.5, a full point-and-a-half higher than it did at its opening. This season, the Under is 16-9-1 between these two teams. That said, the Cardinals have gone Over their total in four-straight home games with a 66 points per game average over that stretch. With the ground game likely being a key fixture in this matchup, however, there may not be that many scoring opportunities for this game to go as crazy as those recent games at State Farm Stadium. Feels like a low-scoring contest dictated by strong run games to me.
Projected total: 44
Player Props
Miles Sanders total rushing yards: Over 61.5 (-115). We all know Sanders is talented and it was only a matter of time before the Eagles were able to unleash him, which they did in Week 14 as he rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns. He may not have that big of a performance in back-to-back weeks, but Sanders is in a great spot going against a Cardinals defense that has allowed 119.5 yards rushing on the ground per game this year.
Jalen Hurts anytime touchdown (+200). The Eagles ran Hurts 18 times in his debut, which led all rushers in that game. With someone getting that type of volume, this touchdown prop brings great value.
Kyler Murray total rushing yards: Over 48.5 (-115). Philadelphia's run defense is around the bottom of the league, allowing 127.3 yards per game on the ground. Murray has also gone over this total seven times this season.
Dan Arnold receptions: Over 1.5 (-130). The tight end has been a consistent figure in the Cardinals passing game, seeing three or more targets over his past three games. He's also started to produce with that opportunity, scoring three touchdowns in two games. I expect Kyler Muray to continue to look his and, as long as he's efficient, he'll go over with his catches.
